I went back to see Iedvokim the following year at the end of winter. I had grown attached to him and his family and besides he had not yet given me much concrete information on the mammoths.

June 1998 – the tundra has transformed. The temperatures are almost positive and the snow does not hide anything – everything is uncovered. Seemingly at the edge of the world. It is difficult to acknowledge that their home of planks and treated cloth protects Iedvokim and his family against the elements even when it is -50ºC outside.

At present Iedvokim is busy tending to the fox-traps. It’s an involved task as the traps are spread out across a vast territory.

Anna, his wife, is with their son Markel, born during the last fishing season. Their daughter Julia is very happy that we will be spending some time with them. Visitors are few and far between.

Anna insists we must taste the stroganina, the specialty that is long, thinly shaved slices of frozen fish. The sorbet of the tundra.


Iedvokim tries to contact Syndassko, a village 180km to the south. He wants me to stay a few more days and tells me that he can take me by skidoo to the site where he found a mammoth skeleton. Then he can drop me off at the village where I will take a helicopter back to Khatanga.

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